The three-day event, held at Vrindavan Yojana in Lucknow from February 8 onwards, witnessed participation from over 25,000 delegates, including more than 1,000 foreign delegates. Over the course of the 34 sessions that were held, the state raked in investment proposals worth Rs 33.50 lakh crore. The summit was graced by the presence of 10 partner countries—Netherlands, Denmark, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Italy and Mauritius—as well as the participation of delegates from 40 nations. Several ambassadors, high commissioners and other important foreign dignitaries also joined in, with H. E. Barry O’Farrell, the Australian high commissioner to India, remarking that many of his countrymen find the investment opportunities provided by Uttar Pradesh very interesting. The sudden rise of Uttar Pradesh (UP), from a ‘Bimaru’ state plagued by underdevelopment and other adverse business conditions, to becoming a leading investment destination in the country, is worth looking at.
This transformation was also pointed out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed the inaugural session of UPGIS23. The prime minister said that Uttar Pradesh has created a new identity for itself in the last five-six years and that the state has seen improvement in every field from electricity to connectivity. This changed face of Uttar Pradesh managed to woo investors from all over India as well as from abroad.